# Sununu: The President is "lazy" and "not that bright." Who believes this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 4, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728 "2012-10-04T18:33:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728/41 "2012-10-05T13:22:36Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I don’t necessarily agree there’s racism afoot. (Surprise, surprise, eh?) > > It’s obviously absurd to say Obama is either “not bright” or lazy. I may have a bias towards the study of law, but I think any fair-minded person understands that you cannot attend a top tier law school, and make Law Review, and be anything other than very bright. Similarly, you can’t be lazy and win the Presidency, at least not in the modern era. GWB? > [@](#): > > In other words, if Obama chose not to prep hard for this debate, someone might say that was “lazy” without meaning Obama’s entire life reeked of indolence. I agree. Unless we have all agreed in advance that certain adjectives are disallowed when talking about someone who is black when those adjectives are perfectly OK when talking about someone who is white. It would be best if we could see the transcript because I’m not in a place where I can listen to an audio file, but IIRC, the comment was about his performance in the debate and not about his general demeanor. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728/42 "2012-10-05T13:58:29Z")
When Sununu says someone is not all that bright, he is using a different scale than the rest of us. He has a Phd in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and has a genius IQ. So someone who is just above average in intelligence like Obama seems not all that bright to him. I love how when Bush had a Ivy league undergrad degree and a master degree from Harvard, that meant absolutely nothing, but those same things from Obama are irrefutable proof of genius. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728/43 "2012-10-05T14:05:22Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > In other words, if Obama chose not to prep hard for this debate, someone might say that was “lazy” without meaning Obama’s entire life reeked of indolence. But isn’t it true that Sununu has _no idea_ how much Obama did or did not prepare for the debate? His statement was meant to be inflammatory, and nothing else. He has zero evidence to back up his words. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728/44 "2012-10-05T14:05:37Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > When Sununu says someone is not all that bright, he is using a different scale than the rest of us. That must be it. To guys with governors with PhDs, presidents with mere JDs are unaccomplished lazy morons. This makes Sununu’s comments much more reasonable. [We are talking about this John Sununu, right?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_H._Sununu#Controversies) > [@](#): > > As White House Chief of Staff, Sununu reportedly took personal trips, for skiing and other purposes, and classified them as official, for purposes such as conservation or promoting the Thousand Points of Light. The Washington Post wrote that Sununu’s jets “took him to fat-cat Republican fund-raisers, ski lodges, golf resorts and even his dentist in Boston.” Sununu had paid the government only $892 for his more than $615,000 worth of military jet travel.[18] Sununu said that his use of the jets was necessary because he had to be near a telephone at all times for reasons of national security. Sununu became the subject of much late-night television humor over the incident. Sununu worsened the situation shortly afterwards when, after leaking rumors of financial difficulties in his family, he traveled to a rare stamp auction at Christie’s auction house in New York City from Washington in a government limousine, spending $5,000 on rare stamps. Sununu then sent the car and driver back to Washington unoccupied while he returned on a corporate jet. > […] > Sununu repaid over $47,000 to the government for the flights on the orders of White House counsel C. Boyden Gray, with the help of the Republican Party. However, the reimbursements were at commercial rates, which are about one-tenth the cost of the actual flights; one ski trip to Vail, Colorado alone had cost taxpayers $86,330. You tell that lazy jerk, Sununu! ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728/45 "2012-10-05T14:34:30Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > But isn’t it true that Sununu has _no idea_ how much Obama did or did not prepare for the debate? His statement was meant to be inflammatory, and nothing else. He has zero evidence to back up his words. I have no idea, in turn, what Sununu knew. (Ha! Say that three times fast.) I’m merely pointing out that there’s a use of “lazy” here that’s not rebutted by Obama’s sterling work ethic in general, because it relates to a specific task, not a general life descriptor. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728/46 "2012-10-05T14:37:41Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I have no idea, in turn, what Sununu knew. (Ha! Say that three times fast.) What did Sununu know and when did he Sunuknow it? Your interpretation of Sununu’s comment is more reasonable, but unfortunately [he made it clear that he was not just talking about the one debate or Obama as a debater.](http://hotair.com/archives/2012/10/04/real-talk-sununu-calls-president-obama-lazy-and-detached/) Here is a full quote: > [@](#): > > SUNUNU: What people saw last night was a president that revealed his incompetence, how lazy and detached he is, and how he has absolutely no idea how serious the economic problems of the country are, and how he has failed to even begin to address them. And I think even the liberal press reacted with shock at this revelation, and I find it fascinating, now this morning, after they’ve slept, to watch them all scrambling around to clean up the mess the president left on the floor last night. On the other hand, Mitt Romney came in with a lot of specifics, a lot of very sharp knowledge of issues, not only with the Obama-version of bumper-sticker numbers, but the governor showed that he understand policies and he understand how to make policy into law talking about what he did in Massachusetts. > > ANDREA MITCHELL: Governor, I want to give you a chance to maybe take it back. Did you really mean to call Barack Obama, the president of the United States, lazy? > > SUNUNU: Yes. I think you saw him admit it… he said, you know, ‘they’re making me do this work.’ He didn’t want to prepare for this debate. He’s lazy and disengaged. I think it’s very clear he is saying the debate reveals that Obama himself is lazy. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728/47 "2012-10-05T14:38:19Z")
As for the original question, obviously the president is very intelligent and not lazy. But there are lots of different kinds of intelligence- and Obama has (to me) always been a very deliberate thinker. He just doesn’t think and respond super-quick- he’s uncomfortable unless he can take a little time to gather his thoughts. It didn’t really register in debates against McCain, because McCain (also a clearly intelligent man) is not a particularly rapid thinker-and-responder as well. In order to have a better showing in the next two debates, Obama needs to prepare in a different way, IMO- he’s not going to suddenly be a machine-gun thinker and talker, so he’s going to need to have a few themes and factual points to bring up again and again and try and force Romney to talk himself into a corner. He needs to come up with some stuff that Romney’s not ready for- Romney has shown himself IMO to be a very poor improviser in public. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728/48 "2012-10-05T15:23:36Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > What did Sununu know and when did he Sunuknow it? > > Your interpretation of Sununu’s comment is more reasonable, but unfortunately [he made it clear that he was not just talking about the one debate or Obama as a debater.](http://hotair.com/archives/2012/10/04/real-talk-sununu-calls-president-obama-lazy-and-detached/) Here is a full quote: > > I think it’s very clear he is saying the debate reveals that Obama himself is lazy. Well, there’s a very simple explanation for that comment. Sununu is an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728/49 "2012-10-05T15:31:29Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Well, there’s a very simple explanation for that comment. > > Sununu is an idiot. Sununu is appealing to the racist base of the Republican party. I think it’s pretty well established that both Sununu and Obama have received ample educations, and put them to good use. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728/50 "2012-10-05T15:32:01Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Well, there’s a very simple explanation for that comment. > > Sununu is an idiot. I think you’re onto something. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728/51 "2012-10-05T15:36:04Z")
Sounds like the OP is less upset about the comment but more that it came from the Romney campaign co-chair. Where’s all the blather about comments that Axelrod has made about Romney? Can’t have it both ways. Both Sununu and Axelrod are idiots. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728/52 "2012-10-05T19:24:08Z")
Meh, never mind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sununu-the-president-is-lazy-and-not-that-bright-who-believes-this/636728.md?page=2)